High tech dog collar sends you SMS alert when your dog gets too hot

As you may or may not know, I love dogs. There are currently three living in my house, and I even recently started working as a part-time dog walker for You Go Pet Sitting, a local company in my hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

I also love technology (obviously), so on those rare occasions when my passion for dogs and technology meet, I immediately perk up. That’s why the latest project of the Toronto Humane Society, in conjunction with Rethink Toronto, has me so excited: these two organizations have jointly come up with a special new dog collar, dubbed the “Dog Caller,” which alerts you via text message when your dog gets too hot.

The collar features a built-in thermostat and SIM card, and the SMS alert is triggered once it detects that the dog’s temperature is in excess of 79 degree – about the point when dogs start to overheat.

This little device is still in its early development stages, but the technology seems very promising. And with a few more donations, the Humane Society could very well be close to bringing this to market. Since most of the US has been suffering from excessively warm temperatures and drought, a gadget like this couldn’t come soon enough.

Of course, this collar isn’t an excuse to leave your dog outside in a parked car on a hot day. Technology also goes wrong all too often, so it’s not something you should ever rely on 100% of the time. Still, it’s a great idea – and if it saves even one little canine life, then it’s money well spent.

About the Author

John Freml is the editor-in-chief at Pocketables. His articles generally focus on all things Google, including Chrome and Android, although his love of new gadgets and technology doesn't stop there. His current arsenal includes the Nexus 6 by Motorola, the 2013 Nexus 7 by ASUS, the Nexus 9 by HTC, the LG G Watch, and the Chromebook Pixel, among others.